5G connections now make up just over one-third of all cellular connections, according to 5G Americas and Omdia. Internet of Things (IoT) subscriptions are thought to be a big part of the growth worldwide.
The firm said that North America added 23 million 5G connections during the second quarter 2024, which is an 11% quarter-over-quarter gain. There now are 242 million 5G connections, which amounts to 34% of all wireless connections.
The companies project that there will be 761 million 5G connections in North America by 2029.
“As 5G adoption continues to grow in North America, operators continue to enhance their 5G networks,” Omdia principal analyst Kristin Paulin said in a press release. “This includes expanding coverage with mid-band spectrum and shifting to 5G standalone, the latter of which allows operators to do more like provide network slices and is the base for 5G RedCap.”
The researchers say that there now are 17 5G deployments in North America (and 329 globally) and 18 4G LTE deployments (710 globally).
Globally, the companies report 192 million 5G connections to reach a total of 2.1 billion connections. The increases were highlighted by IoT subscriptions, which now stand at 3.4 billion. They are forecast to reach 5.2 billion in 2029.
Omdia and 3G Americas say that there currently are 3.4 billion IoT subscriptions. The transition of 4G- to 5G-connected devices will enable 5G RedCap (reduced capability), improved energy profiles, greater network efficiency, and advanced services. This will pave the way for 5.2 billion IoT subscriptions worldwide by 2029.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is aware of the challenges this raises domestically. The bureau, which estimates that there will be 25 billion IoT devices in use by 2030, said that there were more than 1.5 billion attacks on IoT devices in the first half of 2011. In March, the commission voted unanimously to create the Trust Mark program to guard consumer safety when using IoT-connected devices.